Digest (Aug. 12): Soul stops Brigade in playoff opener

The city's new Arena Football League team, the Baltimore Brigade, played its first game in front of the hometown crowd at the Royal Farms Arena, losing to the Tampa Bay Storm, 62-55. Here's our gallery tracking the action from the player introductions to the post-game autographs.

(Reginald Thomas II)

The Baltimore Brigade's inaugural season came to a halt in the semifinals of the Arena Football League on Saturday with a 69-54 loss to the three-time defending champion Philadelphia Soul. The Soul (14-1) advanced to the Aug. 26 ArenaBowl XXX against the winner of Monday's matchup between Tampa Bay and Cleveland. Brigade quarterback Shane Boyd threw for 324 yards and seven touchdowns, including four to Reggie Gray. Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh threw for nine touchdowns and was named the game's MVP. The Brigade were the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in their inaugural season since the Portland Thunder in 2014

Bryan Murray, the longtime coach and general manager who worked in the NHL for 35 consecutive seasons, has died at 74. He was diagnosed in 2014 with colon cancer that he was told was incurable. Murray worked that season and another as general manager of the Ottawa Senators, who confirmed his death Saturday. One of the most respected and well-liked figures in hockey, Murray served as general manager in Anaheim, Florida, Detroit and Ottawa and coached in Washington, Detroit, Florida, Anaheim and Ottawa. He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year with the Capitals in 1983-84 and reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Senators in 2007. The Capitals had not been to the playoffs in their first eight years of existence before making seven consecutive postseason trips under Murray. Former player Craig Laughlin described Murray as a players' coach with an old-school approach and a knack for managing personalities. David Poile, the former Washington and current Nashville general manager, said Murray's teaching background made him a natural for coaching. Murray last coached in 2007-08. Since then he had been Ottawa's general manager and an adviser last season, stepping down because of his health. Murray said he wanted his legacy to be cancer awareness.

ET CETERA

Stevensville's Frost in lineto win White Marlin Open

A Maryland man appears to be the winner of the 44th annual White Marlin Open tournament in Ocean City. Glen Frost, of Stevensville landed a white marlin weighing 95.5 pounds on Friday, a catch worth more than $1.6 million. MikeDonohue of Wilmington, Del., landed an 86-pound marlin to claim more than $1.5 million. Joe Andrews of Ocean City was third on the leaderboard with a 79.5-pound white marlin. The awards ceremony was held Saturday afternoon.

USOC: Standout performances during July earned Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky(Bethesda) and the U.S. women's national water polo team Best of July honors for the Team USA Awards, the United States Olympic Committee announced. Dressel, Ledecky and the U.S. women's national team are among the qualified athletes and teams that are eligible for Best of the Year honors in 2017. Dressel won seven gold medals to lead all competitors at the FINA World Championships, matching Michael Phelps' record total from 2007. Ledecky won six medals – including five golds – to lead all female swimmers at the FINA World Championships, setting a women's record with 14 gold medals in FINA World Championships competition.

Horse racing: Lael Stables' homebred Grade 3 winner Divining Rod, racing for the first time in 8½ months, made an emphatic and triumphant return to competition with a 6¼-length romp in Saturday's $75,000 Polynesian at Laurel Park. The 7-furlong Polynesian for 3-year-olds and up was one of two sprint stakes on the 11-race program, joined by the $75,000 Twixt for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.